The Call
by The Poisoned Quill
Summary: When a feeling turns into more, Alice knows she'll be coming back when Underland calls her. Songfic, "The Call" By Regina Spektor. Sucky summary. Please read and review.


_**This is a song fic based on The Call from the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I do not own that OR Alice in Wonderland, if I did, well, I'd keep Hatter to myself. Hope you enjoy!**_

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_It started out as a feeling_

_Which then grew into a hope_

She'd had this strange, twisted feeling in her chest when she first layed eyes on the strange man with his crazy hair and charmingly insane, well, admittedly everything else. He'd walked across a table (several tables covered in already broken dishes, unbroken dishes, tea fixings, and food) to reach her and that feeling grew just a little bit stronger. When he started babbling, she thought that feeling would explode into a million bright colors before her own eyes. It was a connection, even when he mistook her for a him. She didn't know it then, but that feeling, with just a little push from his chatter and the way he smiled, turned into hope. Hope for something she didn't yet understand, but whatever it was, she wanted it badly.

_Which then turned into a quiet thought_

_Which then turned into a quiet word_

She'd been thinking about all the things she was feeling when he found her on the balcony and she was a little confused. She told him what was on her mind when he gave her an opening, and though it hurt him he brushed it off. _She can't leave, _he thought, _He didn't know what he'd do if she just up and left. _Little did he know that these quiet words were her way of working things out, of convincing herself as much as convincing him. He joked about it, telling her that she'd have to be half mad to dream him up, but when she walked back inside he stood there and sent a prayer up to the ever silent heavens. "Alice." Was all his prayer was, because to be honest that was all he wanted.

_And then that word grew louder and louder_

_Until it was a battle cry_

He found himself saying her name a lot the next day, he felt better for saying it as he went through the routine of life in the palace. He'd had to make himself a new kilt while he was there, he'd said her name then as often as he could when he wasn't be interrupted. Later, after she'd run from the queen he had walked into the forest and collapsed onto his knees. "Alice." He said to the sky, just a little louder. And realizing that there was nobody else there he repeated it, each time it got louder until he was walking through the forest just yelling her name like a strange battle cry. The name brought him a new kind of courage that he couldn't describe.

Hearing the trumpets, he returned to the castle and prepared for battle, cleaning the blade of his sword and keeping Nivens from going into a complete panic attack. Her name rung in his head, _Alice, Alice, Alice,_ even as he became aware that she wasn't there. When he heard the rumbling, that courage her name had brought him doubled. She was there and they'd get through this, he smiled, afterword would prove to be the real challange.

_I'll come back_

_when you call me_

_No need to say goodbye_

"You could stay." He tells her and she looks at him. She wants to, that's what she wants more than anything else in the world. To hear him say it made her almost reconsider. In fact, the words that sprung to her mind was simply _can I? Would you love me? Please, love me and let me stay._

But there were things that required her attention and however she may want this, there were things more important than her own happiness. "What an idea. What a crazy, bad, wonderful idea... but I can't. There are questions that have to be answered, things I have to do." She drank down the vial, her heart breaking at the decision she's made. "I'll be back before you know it."

"You won't remember me." He told her sadly and she almost believed he cared for her in the exact way that she cared for him. But that was foolish. He'd only ever see her as the little gilr from so many years ago.

"Of course I will, how could I forget?" She asked him with a smile. He didn't answer her but they said goodbye in they own unique way. The moment he'd leaned in, she knew she'd been wrong. He loved her as she loved him. But it was too late, she'd already drank the blood and there was no undoing it. She wanted to tell him that saying goodbye was unnecissary, that she'd back and she'd stay next time. But she couldn't stop herself from succumbing to the power of the blood, and she hated herself for it.

_Just because everything's changing_

_Doesn't mean it's never _

_been this way before_

He was sitting at the table, stirring his tea with no reason as he wasn't drinking it. Mally was off busy doing something that he bothered to ask about and Thackery was subdued, muttering and staring at objects with great intensity more often than he usually did. He looked at the seat where Alice had sat, where he'd caught a glimpse of a very small but very determined individual who had been smothered but was not gone. Things were different now, but they'd go back to the way they were. Everything would be back the way they were when Alice left the first time, and she'd become a fond memory they all waited to hear from. Everyone except Tarrant, who would cling to her words like they were some kind of life force. Because he found out he didn't just want her to come back, he didn't know how to survive without her here.

She sat on the boat after fifteen days at sea. They'd been so busy that this was the first time she'd been able to wallow. Since she'd climbed out of the rabbit hole, she'd been given a crash course in her father's business, and she was shipped off practically immediately. So now she was going to China on the Wonder. Her life was taking a drastic turn and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, things had taken turns before but her heart had never been s completely lost. Either way, she sighed as she got up from the crate she was sitting on, she was going to see this through, and then well... she was going home.

_All you can do is try to know_

_Who your friends are_

_As you head off to the war_

She had to come home early, war was spreading in China and while they had a good base for their trade, her family had started to worry about her safety. Not that she cared if they worried about her, but the order had come from Lord Ascot as well, so she wasn't given any choice. Still, she knew she was being followed by a certain blue butterfly but it made her feel protected. It proved to her that even though it'd been over a year there was a land where there were people who cared about her, who loved her. Her only family hadn't even bothered to prove that to her. The only letter she'd gotten from her family was the one asking her to come home. Absolem, he never left. He was always there and he was a constant reminder of the people she had waiting for her.

_Pick a star on the dark horizon_

_And follow the light_

She stared up at the sky, the stars here on the water were spectacular. The dots sparkled and she stared at them with a kind of awe. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" She asked herself when she spotted a strange green star close to the horizon, not even questioning the sanity of asking herself such a question because of an astrological anomaly. It was the first time she'd ever seen a green star in her life and she thought about Tarrant with his strange eyes. She'd follow that star to the horizon, and then home.

_You'll come back_

_When it's over_

_No need to say goodbye_

She got off the ship to face the family of strangers. There was a cold welcome, but it wasn't so welcoming. Rather, they barely registered that she left and she hated that. For several reason, she decided to keep him out of the loop. She didn't intend to tell them she was leaving, because this wasn't home and in the end they would just try to stop her. They wouldn't understand how badly she needed her home. A wind tickled her skin and she smiled. She could feel him in the wind, practically smell him, no matter how far away he really was.

_You'll come back_

_When it's over_

_No need to say goodbye_

Tarrant looked up at the strange green star in his sky. It'd been years since Alice had left and while everything else in Underland returned to the way they had once been, Tarrant couldn't find the man he'd once been completely.

But when the wind caressed him gently, tipping his hat, a sensation washed over him. It was almost like she was there with him and that piece of him was back. Now that he was whole (well, mostly, because in all honesty, she still wasn't there), he knew exactly what he'd been missing. He'd lost his muchness, and with the wind blowing over him like this, it was like she was there lending him a piece of hers. He smiled, his eyes growing vibrant and lively as they hadn't been in a long time. She'd come back soon, he just knew it.

_And now we're back to the beginning_

_It's just a feeling and no one knows yet_

She was standing there in Lord Ascot's manor, waiting. Lady Ascot was glaring daggers in her general direction but she pretended not to notice. When she left, Alice found herself able to breath again. Seh couldn't imagine being her daughter in law. As she waited in the entrance hall, Hamish walked in and looked at her with a bewildered expression. "What are you smiling at?"

It was true, she'd been wearing a smile since she got off the boat. Varying degrees, sure, but it was always a smile. She didn't know how to describe the wonderful and confusing delight in knowing that soon she would be going home. It was this feeling that took over her thoughts and heart. But how do you explain that to a man who refused to dream because it simply wasn't proper? "I'm thinking about far away lands and a dream I have every time I close my eyes. It's such a lovely dream, filled with wonder and magic."

_Just because they can't feel it too_

_Doesn't mean you have to forget_

"You're being absurd again." Hamish looked at her with a kind of arrogance, he would always think he was better than her. "When will you put thoughts of the ridiculous and impossible things out of your head?"

She smiled even brighter because she knew he would never understand. She could try to convince him it was real, these dreams she had, but he'd never feel it. But she wasn't about let him get to her. She turned to say something whimsical just to make him leave her alone but the breeze blew over her skin again. It was strange, and she thought maybe she was imagining this one. However, she could see Hamish felt it too, and as the doors were closed she understood. It was time. So instead of what she'd planned to say (something about rocking horse flies), she said. "I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

She turned to walk out and Hamish was so taken with her words and the radiance she'd had when she spoke them that he called out to her. "What six things?" but she didn't answer as she broke out into a sprint the moment the doors were open. The only thing he could do was watch her running, hair falling out of it's pins and her blue skirt trailing behind her.

_Let your memories grow stronger and stronger_

_Till they're before your eyes_

She ran through the hedges and thought about Hamish's question. What had she believed today that was impossible?

One, animals could talk.

Two- she had slain a Jabberwocky. Something she continued to have a hard time with.

Three- that there was a place called Underland. That would always be something she'd wake up reminding herself, because it shouldn't by any standards be real. Thank God, it was.

She was almost there, she could feel the sensations getting stronger.

Four- she knew for once in her life exactly what she was doing.

Five- She was going home, and home was not London.

She stopped right in front of the rabbit hole, almost falling in.

Six-she was in love with a mad man... a mad hatter, actually.

And she could already see Underland (okay, not really, but it certainly felt that way) as she jumped down into the deep hole.

_You'll come back_

_When they call you_

_No need to say goodbye_

She landed painfully on the decorated marble floor. Her elbows were going to have nasty bruises, and she was pretty sure she'd cut her arm on something. Great, another scar like the ones from the Bandersnatch on the other arm. She hadn't yet picked her head up, instead she layed right where she was, contemplating where she would go from there. She'd start with finding her way to the tea party, she decided, and then to Mamoreal if she couldn't find Hatter there. Wherever he was, he was the first person she wanted to see. When she realized how long she'd been laying there, she sat up and pushed the curls out of her face. In a sudden state of shock and awe, she stared at the feet in front of her.

The shoes wouldn't have been so recognizable, just dirty brown shoes that were worn with age and travel. But the striped socks had her heart ka-thumping in her chest, only one person wore socks like those. When she finally met his green gaze with hers, he helped her to her feet. "How did you know I was coming?" She asked meekly, suddenly nervous in front of this man whom she loved.

"You said you would." He shrugged, decided to mention the wind another time and how somehow he'd just known. There was no need to remind her just how crazy he was, he didn't want to scare her away again. When she didn't say anything, his eyebrows furrowed. He'd been hoping she'd smile or something at his words, her silence only served to aid his worry. "Do you not remember?"

She smiled at this, touched his cheek gently. "How could I forget?"

And proper or not, she kissed his lips, sharing with him everything she'd been keeping to herself. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer to him without being anything less than a gentleman. When they parted he pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're home now, luv, life can go on again." He was leading her out one of the larger doors that seemed to lead right to the windmill.

She laughed, as this was the same thought that had just ran through her own mind. "Yes," She smiled as she stretched up to kiss his cheek, "We're both home. And I'm never saying goodbye again."

_You'll come back_

_When they call you_

_No need to say goodbye._


End file.
